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This invention relates to ring metals used in the fabrication of ring binders; and more particularly, to a ring metal for use with concealed fasteners by which the ring metal is attached to a spine portion of the ring binder.
Ring metal is a generic name for a paper holding device by which hole-punched sheets of paper are stored in a binder. The metal typically consists of two or more rings each of which is formed by two ring sections which are movable apart and together to open and close the binder, a mechanism operable by the binder user to open and close the rings, and a metal cover or shield which covers the mechanism. The shield comprises an elongated piece of metal whose length generally corresponds to the length of the binder and the size of the sheets of paper stored in the binder, and whose width generally corresponds to the width of a spine section of the binder (the portion of the binder between the end leaves of the binder).
Until recently, the shield was attached to the binder spine using rivets or the like. The shield had a hole formed in it at each end. Rivets were driven through the binder spine, from the outside of the binder and the underside of the shield, with the shank portion of the rivet extending above the top of the shield through the hole in the shield. The exposed end of the rivet was then upset over the top of the shield to capture the shield and attach it to the binder. A drawback to this technique was that the head of the rivet was visible on the outside of the binder and was considered unsightly by some.
To address this problem, manufacturers began using concealed fasteners to attach the ring metal to the binder. Examples of concealed fasteners are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,394,686 (the ""686 patent) and 6,109,538 (the ""538 patent) both of which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The concealed fasteners shown in these patents include prongs or spurs which are attached to a cardboard or similar type backing located on the inside surface of the spine. The prongs extend into the backing material, but do not go through the spine itself. Thus, there is no portion of the fastener visible from the outside of the binder. The other end of the concealed fastener abuts against the underside of the shield and is attached to the shield using an impact tool or the like which deforms the shield and abutting surface of the fastener so they attach to one another. An advantage of this is that the inner portion of the fastener is also not visible to one looking at the inside of the binder.
The present invention is directed to an improved ring metal for use with these type of concealed fasteners and is advantageous in the manufacture of ring binders using automated manufacturing processes.
The present invention is directed to an improved ring metals for the fabrication of ring binders using concealed fasteners of the type disclosed in the ""686 and ""538 patents. The ring metal has a shield in which posts are formed at the respective ends of a plate and extend outwardly from the underside of the shield. Concealed fasteners used to attach the ring metal to the spine of the binder each have an opening in their surface which abuts against the underside of the shield. The size and shape of the opening corresponds to that of the post. To attach the shield and fastener together, the fastener is mounted on the post for the one surface of the fastener to abut against the underside of the shield. The outer or distal end of the post is then deformed about the fastener to attach the shield and fastener together. Use of the improved shield with the post extending from the underside of the plate facilitates manufacture of a ring binder using automated processes.
Other features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.